What you need to know about the drill press

Before you buy a new drill press you need to consider all the important factors regarding which model is right for you! For a start what is a drill press? It’s basically just a drill that’s mounted either to a bench/table or to the floor. They’re great for wood work, or metal work. You’ll find they get jobs done much more efficiently than a hand drill would do for the same job. They also save your arms a lot of work – By utilizing leverage.

Regardless of whether you’re a professional woodworker, or just a tinkerer in your spare time a drill press is a great investment. They’re fantastic for aluminum, steel, wood of all sorts, and even glass! Although depending on the material you will need to get the right drill bit accordingly. For example if you try to drill glass with a normal drill but you’re going to have some major issues! As well as risking getting yourself injured.

These days most decent drill presses will have variable speed adjustment settings, which is a bonus. The variable speed settings mean you can make the drill bit go faster, or slower, depending on what you’re drilling into. You should go for a drill press that has 1/4 Horsepower, or more, otherwise they can struggle with heavy duty tasks. You should go for a well known brand and model like the craftsman 12 inch, as they are known to be built to a high quality standard. That being said, it’s still a great idea to check that the machine you choose comes with some kind of warranty or consumer protection, in case you do run into issues.

If you like creating jewelry or other small crafts, then A Mini drill press is perfect for this (See this video). These are also highly portable little machines. Other than for the niche uses like jewellery most people use a benchtop drill, which is a good medium between portability and power. Don’t forget to check out drill press reviews before you buy, there’s always more to learn about these fascinating and useful tools!

Another useful tip is that you should always check the manual! In my time using a drill press I’ve found that the best way to not make mistakes is to first of all become very familiar with your machine. You can do this by reading your manual, watching videos, and asking more experienced experts.